Summer Solstice- part 2

For the runes stones above you will need:
Pinata inks
Cernit porcelain white 2 ounce block
Clay Blade
Pasta machine
Ne-Opaque White
Rune Stamp 246-001k- http://www.eragraphic.com/
Glass Gems Clear- got mine at the local craft store, 3$ a bag
Decorative bag to hold them- local craft store
Here is the other link for how to color the clay
http://mariesegal.blogspot.com/2009/06/lapis-lazuli.html

All of the supplies in bold print can be found in my husband's store Clay Factory
http://www.clayfactory.net/


After the clay is colored. Condition and roll out the colors in the pasta machine on the 5th thickest setting.


Cover the glass tablet and pinch the edges of the clay down.






Fold the other end of the clay over the glass stone. Trim away the excess so the seam on top matches. Pinch the clay together and smooth.

Smooth all of the seams and roll very gently in your palms to smooth.
Lay the rounded side of the stone down on the rune you want to stamp and roll it a little from side to side to imprint the rune.

You may have marks from the rune next to the one you impressed on the stone, you can smooth that away with your finger.
Lay on your baking cardboard and bake in a pre-heated 275F degree oven for 30 minutes, shut off oven and let cool.
Antique with the Ne-Opaque white.
You can find that at this post.
http://mariesegal.blogspot.com/2008/10/lumiere-as-antiquing-medium.html

craft & a cocktail (with the craft whore) celebrates summer solstice with special guest ALICIA BRANDT
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8R7FE_0cMs
Disclaimer: there is some language in this, so if you tend to be offended, don't watch.

Summer Solstice- Rune tiles and beads

Summer solstice the longest day of the year

from Science world http://scienceworld.wolfram.com/

Awed by the great power of the sun, civilizations in the northern areas have for centuries celebrated the first day of summer otherwise known as the Summer Solstice, Midsummer (see Shakespeare), St. John's Day, or the Wiccan Litha.

From http://www.chiff.com/

I love Runes. I like the way they feel and look and it brings me back to an ancient time.

I like pieces of polymer clay that look like they have been dug out of the ground or are replicas of a time gone way by. My pieces have been a reflection of that. I used to call my creations "Ancient Myth with a Modern twist".

These do have the modern twist.

I love letters and words also so this is just the ticket for me. If you have noticed I have been focusing on Pinata inks and this is a continuation of that too.

I also LOVE this lady's stamps. ERA Graphics
She has a rune stamp 246-001k

here is the link to her site, http://www.eragraphics.com/

Please tell Roberta I sent you. She is a talented artist and a nice woman trying to make her way in the world, just like me and I am sure, also a few of you!

It is also an Angel stamp company.

You can get stamps unmounted.

You will need:

Porcelain White Cernit

Pinata inks of your choice

5/8" round cutter

Lumiere or Ne-Opaque acrylic in the color/colors of your choice

Rune Stamp 246-001k from ERA Graphics

Products in Bold print are available from Clay Factory http://www.clayfactory.net/

1. Color your white clay with the ink.

You can follow this post http://mariesegal.blogspot.com/2009/06/lapis-lazuli.html

as a matter of fact I am going to use some of the Lapis Lazuli to make some of the runes.

When your clay is colored with ink to the shade that you like, remember they will darken after baking so 3- 5 drops is great for most colors, but I probably used 15 for the Lapis Lazuli,

2. Roll out your clay on the thickest setting in your pasta machine and double the sheet to get a thicker sheet or roll out by hand to about 1/4" thick.

3. Cut out round shapes.

4. Roll into little barrels.

5. Cut the stamp into rows of Runes this way.

6. Press the little barrels on to the rune. You are pressing to make the impression not flatten so use a gentle hand.

If you get a little heavy of hand, recondition the clay and do it again or press gently with you fingers on the sides to push back in to a square shape. You can "drill" the holes with needle or needle tool before they are baked or drill with a small bit after they are baked and cooled.

7. Line up on a piece of cardboard and bake in a 275F degree pre-heated oven for 30 minutes. Shut off the oven and let cool.

After they are cool antique with the Lumiere or Ne-opaque

Here is how to antique your baked pieces. You can see the results of the different colors of Lumiere and Ne-Opaque above.

http://mariesegal.blogspot.com/2008/10/lumiere-as-antiquing-medium.html

If you like heavier runes you can cover small light colored river stones or glass pebbles with the Pinata colored clay and stamp, bake, and finish by antiquing. Coming next post.

Making word molds

Cernit Scrap Clay http://www.clayfactory.net/
Alphabet soup noodles (Found these in the Mexican food section of my grocery store)
Amazing Mold Putty http://www.alumilite.com/
Small piece of Plexiglas or glass (I have one that is 2”x 2 ½” that my fiend Pnina gave me, it is perfect, I can see through it and it is small)
Clay Blade
Piece of cardboard, I use a box top cut to fit in the tray of my oven

1. Condition the scrap clay and make it one color.
2. Run it out in the pasta machine on the thickest setting or 1/8” thick. If you don’t have a pasta machine, place two Popsicle sticks on each side of a flattened with fingers 2” round of clay and roll out with a rolling pin or clear glass jar, make it as smooth as you can or it will show in the mold when it is done.
3. Trim the end of the clay with your blade for a straight edge
4. Find the letters you are going to use, sometimes the letters are not perfect, look for the good ones. Place the letters on to the clay right directly above the cut edge.
5. Place the Plexiglas over the top of the letters and GENTLY press the letters in to the clay. Do not press the letters further than half way in to the clay.

6. Trim all the edges of the clay around the letters and place on your baking cardboard. I like to trim the edges very close to the letters. You can also make shapes if you wish, like thought bubbles and curved pieces, but I mostly use the straight pieces of clay and find that it works best for more situations. Think of word magnets for refrigerators and how you can out them together to form thoughts and statements. Mwaaaahhhhh! Boy can I think of a few choice phrases right now! It is working with phthalate laden clay for all these years that does this to me, wink, wink!

7. Once you have all of your word pieces, bake according to the manufacturers’ directions.

8. When they are cool, scoop out equal amounts of “part a” and “part b” mold putty and mix the white and the yellow together till it is one color about 1 minute to make sure it is completely mixes. Since the words pieces are so small I suggest you use a small scoop-like utensil, like the small end of a melon ball maker or a old ½teaspoon measuring spoon to scoop out the putty. I scoop out one color and then wipe off the spoon with an old towel and scoop out the other color. I get closer to the same amount this way. OR…isn’t there always an or?
Roll a bit of putty in to ½” coils and cut into ½” sections of each color and mix together 1 section of each color together, do not forget to wipe off the knife you cut the coils with, before cutting the other color coil.
Now that you are thoroughly confused…

9. When the colors are thoroughly mixed roll the mixed putty in to a coil that is as long and as wide as the word tile you want to mold. You may be able to make two or three molds from one mixing depending on the size of your scooping tool. Now press the putty down around the tile and make sure it is covering the whole tile and close to the tile on all sides.

10. I press on the top of the putty to press it down and then on all of the side and then down on the top again (not hard, PRESS NOT SMASH). Luckily this putty takes a little time to set up, which is nice so you do have some time, but don’t get up to go to the bathroom once you start mixing this stuff up.

11. After you get them all done, get out of the house for 15-20 minutes, do not do what I do and play with them and move them around and stick my nail in the top. Just go do something else. It is easier on my impatient self when I go away from the putty. If you could see my molds some of them have a ton of nail marks in the top of them. It is fun if you want to do it, just go right ahead, life is short, have fun.

12. After 15-20 minutes you can now stick your nail into the putty and it should not leave a mark that lasts, it will feel like it is bouncing back, then it is done.
13. Release the clay tiles from the putty. I also let them set just a bit longer after I release the tiles to let the inside set a bit more. If the letters stick in the mold, gently pick them out with a needle or a needle tool.

14. Roll a coil of clay about ¼” thick and as long as the mold tile on the inside of the mold.

15. Push the clay in to the mold, the mold will spread a little, so push on all sides of the mold to get the clay strip to be the right size.

16. Slice off the excess clay with your blade by slicing along the top of the mold.

17. Release the clay from the mold gently; try not to smash the letters. I make these molds kind of thin so that when I bend them back they bend easily and the clay releases easily and then I can grab the sides of the clay gently with out wrecking the letters.

18. You can bend the words in to different shapes, if you rub a little Pearl-ex powder just on the surface of the letters with your finger, it will make the letters stand out.

Here are some of the brooches that I make with these word tile molds.